Panels from Moda Maya, published by Mérida's Department of Urban Development illustrate ancient Maya women's dress — from the full-length wraparound refajo and jade jewelry to the cotton hipil tunic adorned with water lily medallions and imagery of K'awil, the Maya god of abundance, lightning, and political power.Photo: Courtesy

Mérida Writes Comic Book to Teach Maya Fashion History

ByYucatán Magazine

The Mérida city government has a new way to teach us about ancient Maya fashion — a delightful, colorful comic book.

Released in February, Moda Maya (Maya Fashion) is a 10-page illustrated booklet produced by the Dirección de Desarrollo Urbano (Urban Development Directorate) as part of the current Ayuntamiento 2024–2027 administration. It was authored by archaeologist Eduardo Manuel Puga Salazar and graphic designer Ofelia Isabel Espinosa Chuc.

Puga is Mérida’s municipal archaeologist, responsible for safeguarding the city’s archaeological heritage. He is also a practicing epigrapher — someone who studies and reproduces ancient inscriptions — and has become one of the more recognizable voices on Maya culture in the region.

Puga has developed a following for his ability not just to reproduce ancient Maya hieroglyphic texts but also to innovate within the tradition, creating new glyphs for concepts the ancient Maya never needed to name. He also runs epigraphy workshops for all ages and has spoken at conferences advocating for a broader, more nuanced understanding of Maya cosmology.

Moda Maya draws on that same combination of deep scholarship and public engagement. The publication uses humor and vivid illustrations to guide readers through the textile traditions of pre-Hispanic Maya women, grounded in epigraphic and iconographic research.

The premise is a fashion runway show set at Dzibilchaltún, the ancient Maya site about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Mérida. Two hosts — Kej and Ixchel — serve as commentators, doing their best impression of fashion journalists as models parade in garments drawn from archaeological sources. The audience uses cacao beans, a pre-Hispanic currency, to shop. The curtains, naturally, were woven and brought in from Uxmal.

What’s on the Runway

The booklet covers several categories of Maya dress, moving from everyday wear to high-ceremony regalia.

El Pueblo Mérida

The enredo skirt opens the show — a single-piece wrap tied at the mid-torso and hand-dyed with painted prints. The hosts describe it as the ideal garment for the working woman of the 8th century. Symbolic decorations varied by occasion and were made to order. The production of cotton blankets played a significant role in the tribute economy of the major Maya polities.

Next comes the refajo, or full-body slip, covering the torso, hips and ankles. Accessories depended entirely on social status: jade jewelry for the elite, wood and shell for everyone else.

Then there’s the hipil — called huipil in most of Mexico and across Central America — a single-piece cotton tunic with a center opening. The word traces back to the Nahuatl huipilli, meaning “adorned or bejeweled dress.” The booklet notes that when Spanish colonizers arrived, this garment scandalized them. They labeled Maya people “libertines” because the Maya viewed the body as something natural, with nothing to hide.

The gala version, el hipil o huipil, is a two-piece ensemble — blouse and skirt — either plain or brocaded, depending on the event. Think ancestor invocations and deity ceremonies. One runway look features a net-like blouse woven to simulate jaguar spots, described as “highly specialized and extremely expensive,” paired with a red enredo skirt.

The finale is a full ceremonial look: a red hipil with glyph bands along the sides, jade collar, fringe hem and an elaborate feathered headdress. The crowd loses it. Two uninvited guests crash the runway. Someone produces a belt. The hosts sign off.

More Than a Fun Read

The project’s stated goal is to restore women’s prominence in the narrative of Maya history by centering their role through what they wore. The back page explains that the content is grounded in epigraphy and iconographic research, presented in the format of a high-fashion magazine to make it accessible without sacrificing accuracy.

It’s a sharp approach. Maya textiles have long been recognized as a major form of artistic and religious expression, and as markers of social rank and community identity. The hipil remains one of the most enduring garments in Mesoamerican history, worn across Mexico and Central America. Students in Mérida have even adopted the hipil as a daily uniform in recent years as part of a broader effort to keep traditional dress alive.

Moda Maya is available through the Mérida city government.

Fun Facts About Moda Maya

  • Published by: Dirección de Desarrollo Urbano, Ayuntamiento de Mérida 2024–2027
  • Authors: Archaeologist Eduardo Manuel Puga Salazar; graphic designer Ofelia Isabel Espinosa Chuc
  • Where to download: Right here
  • Format: 10-page illustrated comic booklet, Spanish language
  • Setting: A fictional fashion runway at Dzibilchaltún, 15 km (9 miles) north of Mérida
  • Garments covered: Enredo skirt, refajo, hipil/huipil (everyday and ceremonial), net skirt, full gala ensemble
  • Cover model: Ix K’amal, wearing clothing and accessories by Sak K’uk’ Wotoch

Source: Moda Maya, Dirección de Desarrollo Urbano, Ayuntamiento de Mérida, febrero 2026

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